*****A

The “VALUES” of conservatives represent somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25% of Americans.

YOu have to connect with people on the THEMATIC, NARRATIVE, and EMOTIONAL level first. If you do that, they’ll listen to your wonkish policy ideas.

I believe Obama is on track to winning the nomination; Nothing surprising with that prediction.

Re Obama, I believe that much of the criticism of MinerSam and the praise of Laurie and others are ALL valid.

Obama has the potential to do something neither Clinton nor McCain can do. He can lead people to make a direct connection with their own Consciences…that’s where deep inspiration/motivation comes from. It’s not just “words”.

I can see 30 million new registered democratic voters, at least. And they’ll all be needed to beat back the electoral fraud that will be rampant.

We’ll have to win by at least 15 million votes to take back the White House….that’s just the way it is. The Republicans and the money behind them are that dirty. And let’s not forget closet bgots who will say one thing to a pollster but do something else in the privacy of the voting booth.

Obama will grow in office. He has the potential to do that. Obama also has the potential to be pushed by the grass roots of the Democratic party in ways that Clinton does not.

She’s a wonderful Lady and she could have easily had this all sewn up by know but she has fallen prey to prideful hubris…and will likely pay the price.

Bottom line: without a strong national grass roots progressive movement to take back the Democratic party, at all levels, from the establishment pols that now own it, it’s likely that Obama will fail to meet his potential, blow it and be a one term president.

If on the other hand THE PEOPLE inspire a president Obama; then everything good becomes possible!

All this stuff about Lakoff is only part right; the analysis comes after the reality of direct gut perception/action. You can’t learn this stuff by simply reading a book any more than you can learn to ride a bicycle that way.

If I’m wrong and Clinton somehow steals it, or Obama messes up and gives it to her…I’ll work my tail off to put Hillary Clinton in the White House.

A McCain presidency would be a complete disaster that our democracy might not survive.

Let’s hang together, or we’ll all hang separately. (As old Ben Franklin sorta said ;-)

This is why I will not be voting for Obama, and voting for Hillary. Because Obama has been complicit with the GE-TVs and the CNNs of the world (a station that is to journalim what painting by numbers is to art) and which people call the Corporate Media (CM), beholden to the Republican party for Media Consolidation) have been Swiftboating Hillary.

I was Media Trained in a large corporation, and have not only seen every debate on both sides, and about 20 stump speeches each by both Obama and Hillary, but since 2000 (when Republicans sent paid aids on the Enron Plane to riot outside the vote recount room) I have had C-SPAN, CNBC and the “Unpundits” on 20 hours a day.

Obama has been running a dishonest campaing, And while “Framing” is everything (especially with an electorate too busy working that has been dummed down) Nevertheless Democrats simply do not need to be dishonest. And framing does not need to be dishonest. This is the Republican way.

Obama has been dishonest about Hillary’s vote on Iraq. I saw the CONDITIONS she (and Kerry for that matter) for her vote on Iraq, and everything that went on before and after it.

After almost 1 year of Mr. Bush trying to get that vote he finally said that War would only be as a last resort.

Hillary and Kerry voted for a UNTITED FRONT TO INTIMIDATE SADAM INTO ALLOWING THE INSPECTORS BACK IN, AND ONLY WAR IF HE DID NOT.

And after YEARS of him NOT LETTING THE INSPECTORS BACK IN THIS STRATEGY FINALLY WORKED.

But instead of, in the mean time, Mr. Bush forming a coalition that included Iraq’s neighbors like Bush 1 did, HE PUSHED OUT THE INSPECTORS AND WENT IN AS A FIRST RESORT.

Obama was not even in the Senate when they took that vote and after he got there said he “didn’t know how he would have voted.” And despite the lies of his campaign it did not take “courage” to oppose the war. Millions marched in opposition all over the country despite the fact that the CM blacked it out.

The GE-TVs has been running like another opposition party against the Democratic frontrunner due to the power of Television have managed to destroy previous Democratic Frontrunners (Gore, Dean and Kerry).

It was they who gave the Swiftboat Liars tens of billions in free advertising.

And should Obama win, when McCain’s attack dogs (Like Romney and the Current PR guy of McCain who will go underground in a 527 so McCain doesn’t look bad) THE CMs will give these attack dogs lots and lots of free air time against Obama.

Only this time they will not need to lie. They are likely to use the very things Obama said about himself in his book. There is currently some guy going around who is willing to (under oath) say worse and more current things about him.

So perhaps George can get ready to help with that.

I have seen what the Republicans have done to our institutions of State, and cried to hear Hillary speak before the organization that she cofounded the Constitution Society.

But the audacity Obama has had to equate Hillary with Bush, or with any of the catasrphies that have been going on in the last 7 years.

Few people know that when Bill was about to run, Republicans warned him that they will be able to bump all the other Democrats off the race just by claiming that they are “too liberal” or “tax and spend liberals” But not with him.
So that if he runs they will destroy him

All of the things like Whitewater, Travel Gate, FBI Gate were phony.
And Bill, Hillary and their aids left the White House bankrupt. They tried to destroy them because they were effective.

It is an outrage for Obama to use Republican Talking Points about Hillary not passing the Healthcare bill. IT WAS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THEIR CRONIES WHO STOPPED IT.

Hillary was there when Bill Clinton ballance the budget LINE ITEM BY LINE ITEM.

It was Hillary that the leaders of Northern Ireland sought out to thank for brining them together after decades of of violent division. And she did so much more behind the scenes in areas of Diplomacy and for Children NATIONALLY!

Obama has a Situation Comedy view of a Chief Executive. Prefers the Bush and Reagan style, said that it is not the job of the President to manage the Beaurocracy. When it is the Executive Branch that runs our entire government.

I have never seen anyone for whom I have had such a declining view of as Barak Obama. His voice is now 2 decibles lower than it was…tonight he complimented himself for his speeches.

I have seen some of the most inspiring speekers on earth speek and Obama’s speeches are more divisive than inspiring. He avoids critisizing the Republicans, has even praised them. People who have trampled on our Constitution… while so many of his supporters as well as him trash Democrats and the Democratic Party.

Someone recently said that the average waiter abroad is able to have a more intelligent conversation about politics than the average College Educated American. And apparently, at this point sexism is much deeper than racism in our country.

I continue to pray that Hillary wins, and agree that her campaign should have been much more conscious of Framing. Believe me,
I am tortured about it, as I was with Kerry’s miserable campaign.

Unfortunately Kerry is so oblivious to GOOD FRAMING that he endorsed the Book of Republican Operative Frank Lunz (Who laughed at him on C-Span for it). His book which Obama has been been using and Edwards did too is called: “It’s Not What You Say But What People Hear” which would more ACCURATELY be framed as: “It’s What You Imply, And Who You Implicate With Lies.”

Progressives do not need to Imlicate their own with lies, unless they are trying to move the eyes of the viewer away from reality.

Hope is a powerful emotion. Be careful what you hope for. It’s true that Obama links the word hope with progressive themes. What’s missing is what he plans to do to fulfill peoples’ hopes. Obama often describes the problem, but gives no hint about the solution. His campaign very deliberately avoids exposing those details, leaving it up to people’s imaginations. Yes, there’s stuff on the web site — but the example of a Texas endorser not knowing a single legislative accomplishment indicates that a substantive understanding of why Obama is the most qualified for the most important job on earth is not what is compelling his supporters. I’ve no doubt that he can get elected without that deep level of understanding. That doesn’t make it a wise decision. We’re already living with the result of a decision like that — where voters set aside the proven for the promise.

I feel hope when Hillary describes what she will change, not just because her vision fits my values, but because I don’t have to guess what “change” means.

*****A